Analyzing The Essay 'Motherhood: Who Needs It?'

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In the essay “Motherhood: Who Needs It?”, it is debated whether motherhood is an instinctual, hereditary quality all mothers are born with or if it is an idea that society imposes on women that being a mother is the standard path to take. Betty Rollins, the author of the essay, argues that motherhood is a learned trait, not one that is innate. She states that “Motherhood Myth” came to be, because children came with sex so it was thought to be instinctual consequence of an act. She proves that women not only are disappointed in their decision to have kids, but are also choosing to have fewer or have none at all. I agree with her argument that having children is a learned behavior that is pushed on us by the views of women’s roles in our society. To support the claim that motherhood is imposed on …show more content…

This can be seen as the starting point of the difference of gender roles in our society. Rollins points out how that those who see girls playing with dolls as an innate role, forget that “little girls are given dolls”. The dolls encourage and teach young girls to take care of and create a life for a person, which is an example of how women are raised to be caretakers. Boys are given trucks and tools which pushes them to take a more industrial lifestyle in the workforce. This role is given to us so early that we think these to be our roles throughout life. As we grow, girls are taught how to cook and clean by their mothers, and boys were taught to work on farms or in the fields with their fathers. This continues into adulthood when females are expected to have children and become stay at home moms; whereas males are supposed to go into the workforce and provide for their families. As you can see these distinct differences make an obvious impact in the way society functions and feels opposing genders should act, in the instance of taking care of a

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